Online Farm Markets

OnlineFarmMarkets.com provides point of sales, inventory management, preorder options, and much much more for farm market vendors, making life easier for the market, the vendors, and the customers.

Food Assistance Handbook

Growing Hope has managed multiple farmers markets in Michigan, and created this operations handbook as a tangible guide to roles, responsibilities, and steps needed to operate food assistance programs before, during, and after a market season. While specifics will vary with different markets, this can serve as an example of how to document the operationalizing of nutrition incentive and other food assistance programs at markets.

Popular Phrases Translated into Arabic and Spanish

Michigan Farmers Market Association created two-pages of helpful farmers market and SNAP-related phrases (some Michigan-specific) translated into Arabic and Spanish.

Food Sovereignty Action Steps

This document is designed for anyone who has ever asked, “How can I help make the food system more just?” The following food sovereignty action steps were compiled by the Soul Fire Farm community and Northeast Farmers of Color alliance It is divided into seven sections #1 Policy Platform, #2 Individual Actions, #3 Reparations, #4 Alliance Building, #5 Internal Organizational Transformation, #6 Grantmaking and Funding, and #7 Self-Reflection and Education.

Effective Communication in the Cultural Marketplace

Chapter 6: Happy Vendors, Happy Managers from the Washington State Farmers Market Management Toolkit provides excellent background reading for considering ways communication and culture intersect at the market, including with immigrant vendors.

Farmers markets as a strategy for improving food environments pp 54-60

When designed effectively, supported by knowledge and an
understanding of the food-environment concept, government
policy and fiscal measures can positively influence what food
is available to consumers and lead to healthier dietary choices.
The food-environment concept, for example, has been crucial
to understanding and tackling food insecurity and food apartheid, as
described in this chapter.

Oregon Farmers Market Association 2020 Census Results

Oregon Farmers Market Association recently released results from its 2020 census of farmers markets in a webinar titled “What Happened at Oregon Farmers Markets in 2020.” This presentation holds interesting stats about sales, attendance, and vendor level trends. It also dives into subjects like how Oregon farmers markets responded to COVID-19, widespread wildfires, and calls for racial justice in their communities during 2020.

Click the image below to watch a recording of the webinar.

Access the full presenter slides here.

marketshare: Market Budget Scenario 1

Budget case study for a seasonal market with stall fees and sponsors. marketshare is a program of marketumbrella.org, which works to cultivate the field of public markets for public good. These free documents (called “shares”) are the best of “lessons learned” from public markets everywhere.

EBT Point of Sale Device: Categories Overview

EBT Point of Sale Device Category Overview

This document will help you familiarize yourself with the categories of devices available – wired, wireless, and mobile, and help you start your search for the right device based on your cellular connectivity needs. This list is not exhaustive, nor is it a recommendation – these devices are examples of what we see commonly occurring in the Market and Farm Stand community.

Please refer to our Market Discovery Process to dive deeper into factors that may influence your technology choice. If you are seeking free or low cost EBT equipment, there are a couple of options. First, several states offer Free Wireless EBT Equipment to eligible markets and farmers — refer to our nationwide state-by-state guide for more information on what your state’s program offers. Marketlink also offers free equipment for eligible markets and farmers, and more information can be found here. Remember, choosing the technology that works for your market before looking at cost as a sole decision factor is vital to your market’s EBT program.

If you’d like to share your market’s device or insights, please reach out to Katie@farmersmarketcoalition.org.

EBT Technology: Market Discovery Process

EBT Technology: Your Market’s Discovery Process

Your process in choosing a Third Party Processor (TPP, or sometimes referred to as a “Merchant Service Provider”) and device (whether it’s a tablet or a payment terminal) to process EBT can be tricky and depends on a wide range of factors. At worst, rushing into the wrong agreement may create huge problems down the road. Understanding your model’s specific needs are crucial for this process for choosing the right Third Party Processor and corresponding device. 

This document includes a list of questions intended to jumpstart your thinking on specific EBT technology needs at your market or on your farm — it’s best used in conjunction with real feedback from farmers and market operators who use particular devices, or have faced similar challenges. Reach out to technical assistance providers in your area, email katie@farmersmarketcoalition.org, or share questions through FMC’s listserv for specifics.